The crossing at Woodson-Franklin Road is one of the crossings that will be updated.

The crossing at Woodson-Franklin Road is one of the crossings that will be updated.

Photo: Nick Draper | Journal-Courier

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The crossing at Main Street in Woodson is an example of what the upgrade crossings might look like.

The crossing at Main Street in Woodson is an example of what the upgrade crossings might look like.

Photo: Nick Draper | Journal-Courier

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Railroad crossings in line for upgrades

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As part of an ongoing initiative by the Illinois Commerce Commission to improve safety at railroad grade crossings, the crossings that meet with traffic, a five-year plan will bring crossing upgrades to several locations in the region.

The Grade Crossing Protection Fund established by the general assembly provides $39 million in Motor Fuel Tax funds to help keep Illinois’ 7,651 highway-rail grade crossings, 765 of which are on state roads and 6,886 of which are on local roads.

“We have a multidimensional focus around the state,” said Mike Stead, manager of the rail program at the Illinois Commerce Commission. “We’re looking to improve safety in as many places as possible both in rural and urban areas … we spend a year identifying where safety improvements should be considered. We have more locations than money to spend each year so we use geography as the tie-breaker.”

In 2016, 102 collisions at public crossings were reported within the state, resulting in 25 deaths and 36 injuries, down from the last year. Stead said that there’s no particular trend, though most collisions happen in Chicago with a higher volume of crossings and traffic.

There are 16 crossing projects confirmed among Cass, Greene, Morgan, Pike and Scott counties. The projects vary in scope and time, with many of them slated for the fiscal year 2018.

For many of the projects, the upgrade will consist of new flashing light signals, warning signals, gates and automatic warning devices to alert the railroad to any failures in the warning devices. Some crossings may be in need of an upgrade to their highway approaches in order to keep cars off of steep approaches, a problem that can cause accidents, Stead said.

These upgrades will cost around $300,000 — $100,000 extra if a highway approach upgrade is needed — with 85 percent of the funds coming from the Grade Crossing Protection Fund, 10 percent coming from the municipality, and five percent from the railroad company. The railroad company will pay for the maintenance costs of the crossings.

“Typically the staff recommendation over the years is that all parties involved should hold a stake in the project,” Stead said. “The reality is a lot of these communities at a township, civic, or even a county level don’t have the funding to even keep their daily operations running. If they can’t pay for their portion, the staff will recommend that we cover the local share because we feel these improvements are important to move forward.”

Nick Draper can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1223, or on Twitter @nick_draper.